Through Eastern Eyes
by ParagonEmil
Summary: The Warrior of the East Shiva has started to realize how Lordran isn't the same anymore. It is growing colder, darker, and people are hunting dearly for souls. Is there a safe haven for everyone in Dark Souls, or is the world finally growing to an end? Rated T for violence and some language.
1. Chapter 1 - Shiva of the East

The hunter swung her Zweihander with all the power she had left. It was a thunderous _**ZHOOM**_ through the air as the long, sharp blade came crashing down on her foe. She thought it at least would break the intruders guard. She wanted to show that she was capable of combating this intruder and his phantom. However, the hunter's wish wasn't granted. The Zweihander bounced harmlessly of the intruder's sturdy shield, and she felt the phantom's Black Knight Greataxe bury into her back. The pain was immense, and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. When she looked up, she saw her full Black Iron armored opponent stand triumphantly over her, with his Gold Tracer resting at the side of her neck. The hunter felt shame overwhelm her, as she had been beaten by this wildly swinging blind-fighter, and looked down. "What would Shiva have done?" was all she could think, before the Tracer sliced across her throat, and her phantom disappeared.

* * *

A hundred and fifty feet away he was watching. His 12 KG Murakumo resting on his lion-decorated shoulder, his Iron Round shield hanging loosely on his left arm, and his look spying like an eagle. He was watching his enemy. They weren't anything special, just the regular forest invaders looking to farm souls of his hunting brothers and sisters. But although they weren't "anything special", men like this made Shiva of the East FURIOUS! They only think about themselves, chug off their cursed Estus flagons, and swing with all they have without any proper training. But Shiva loved handling them like a true hunter, though. And that was what he intended to do now.

* * *

"Man, you handled her good!" said the Giant armored, Black Knight Axe-wielder.

"Yeah, I know right! You crushed her spine with that axe of yours! Where do you find those Black Knight weapons?" asked the Black Iron knight.

"This one I looted in the Catacombs." answered the Giant warrior. "But I know there is a sword- and a greatsword wielder in the Burg."

"Cool!" said Black Iron. "I always wanted a slow, heavy, spine-crusher!"

"Well, you're going to feel one now." said a voice behind him.

Before he could react he felt an immense pain across his backside, before being knocked down by something banging the back of his helmet. He landed in a small pond, and instantly saw a blue fog on the ground around him.

No! he thought. Not the Lloyds'!

With a raging battle cry his friend leaped over him with his axe lifted above his head. This was a grave mistake, as it left him open, and their attacker (with apparent ease) threw his shield into the phantoms throat, which caused him to instantly dissipate. The intruder watched in horror as their attacker picked his shield up, and came calmly towards him. He reached for his tracer, and with relief found it. He picked himself up, and now felt a little bit more confident. But all of it disappeared when his attacker laughed the most evil laugh at him. It showed clearly a mocking. It showed clearly the guy was here to teach somebody a lesson. He didn't have to guess who. The five feet long blade named Murakumo, weapon of the captain of the Forest Hunters, Shiva of the East, came crashing down on him.

* * *

I do not own Dark Souls! The Souls series are property of From Software.

Authors note: Ok, so with Dark Souls 2 coming out I thought I'd make a FanFiction based on my favorite game in my favorite series. This is my first FF, so I would love some reviews and opinions about my writing. Sorry for this one being rather short. It's late and I wanted to get started, so this was all I could do for tonight. Hope you will enjoy the upcoming story!


	2. Chapter 2 - Pharis, the Huntress

Pharis readied her bow steadily. She had been stalking the intruder for a long time now, and she knew what his goal was. The grave of Sir Artorias, the Abysswalker. Although she knew what awaited the intruder there, she had no intention of letting him reach it. Sif hadn't been in battle for a long time, and it wasn't safe to let her into harm's way.

When the man was closing in on the three Great Black Felines, Pharis took her first shot. However it wasn't directly at him, but a nearby bush. The sound of it shaking caused the man to turn, and for the first time draw his weapon. This made him seem more like a sneaker than a direct combatant. His transparent shape also implied this, but Pharis never underestimated and enemy. Fog Ring and Knife wielders were dangerous. They knew how to hide, and run. But more importantly, when to strike. And because of their adaptation to sneaking, they had a sixth sense of when they were followed, especially if their follower was close. So Pharis were trying to distract his thoughts.

Quite to her satisfaction, the man started walking towards the bush. Pharis readied her bow again, for she knew if he inspected the bush, he was already dead. The arrow she had shot was poisoned, and so the bush was. He did not want poison in his lungs when he was faced again three Felines, but even less against Pharis the Huntress.

But he didn't. He touched the bush with his gloved fingers only, and none of it touched his skin. Pharis was regretful at her decision, as he now must be aware of her, and would never walk into the Felines' sight, which would've her job a ton easier.

"Come out of your hiding, Hunter!" he yelled. "I know you're there! Show yourself!"

Pharis was uncertain if to put an arrow between his eyes or not, but decided to show herself.

"Here I am, invader!" she called to him, and pulled out her shield and falchion.

To her surprise, he bowed respectfully to her. She did not return it though. This was no honor duel. As they said, anything goes in the Forest.

He now pulled a target shield off his back, and entered a battle stance. He held his shield at his side, while his knife was at an angle in front of his bent shape. Pharis knew this stance. It was a classic parrying stance widely used by thieves. This man was no knight, then. She entered her own stance, and the started circling each other. She wanted him to attack, as his stance would be broken, then she would capitalize on his vulnerable form.

Her wish was granted, and he swung vertically at her chest. She sidestepped it, and sliced for his belly. He brought his shield into position, and pushed the curved blade away. She had expected this, and used the momentum from his push to spin around and bash him with her shield. He tumbled backwards from the blow, and Pharis now did her first mistake. She took inspiration from his vulnerable body, and tried to land a cut at his neck. He easily raised his dagger, and parried the hit, before spinning around and dropkicking her in the face. She saw blue stars as his leather boots was planted in her nose and mouth, she fell completely over, and the shield slipped out of her hand. The man saw his opportunity, lunging at her with his dagger pointed down. She rolled away quickly, and his weapon buried into the dirt she had been lying on a second ago.

She stood up and swung her falchion two-handed and violently. He was overwhelmed by the flurry of stabs and swipes, and before he could think of a counter, he received a cut in his hood, and his mouth was filled with blood. Pharis smiled, now certain of her victory over this undead intruder, and landed a kick in his chest. He was thrown backwards by the impact, but gathered himself and stood back up, ready to go. Pharis just stood there. The invader thought: "Why didn't she attack? I was dead to rights."

Before he could think further, something big and hairy hit him with amazing power in the back, and he felt large teeth sink into his body. His blood-curdled scream filled the air, as two Great Felines ripped him in half.

Pharis, happy with her kill, tapped one of the Felines on the head before finding her Black Crystal and leaving this man's world.

* * *

Back at Alvina's place was Shiva, seemingly angry at something. He was trampling back and forth on the dirt, and his ninja bodyguard held himself in the background, leaning against a grass-overgrown wall.

Pharis didn't want to hear his troubles, as he always seemed to have some, and walked straight over to Alvina. She could feel Shiva's gaze in her back, but didn't turn to look at him.

"Ah, thee hast returneth, Pharis of the Great Woods. What prey has thee slaughtered today, hmm?" Alvina's voice was as old as the dirt she was standing on, and the ruins they were in. It was the voice of how a leader should sound, despite her laughable appearance. She appeared as a fat cat, a Feline to be precise, and her fur was so fluffy it made her look even more chubby. Fate watch the one who dared to comment it, though.

"I battled a man. Apparently a thief, as he wielded a bandit's curved knife and a light shield. His corpse is now back at a bonfire."

"Very good! I am much pleased! Here, taketh this gift."

And out of thin air, a Titanite Chunk appeared in front of her. This was a praised material, and Chunks were valuable and rare.

"Thank you Alvina. You are most kind."

She didn't, as usual, respond. She just stared into the air like she'd forgotten Pharis was there. She was used to this, and walked out, only to meet Shiva blocking her way. He gestured her to follow him, and they walked around a corner, where Shiva's guard was waiting. Nobody knew his name, not even Alvina, and he rarely spoke. But he was a nice enough guy.

"What is it, Shiva?!" she said, rather impatient.

"It... Something has happened, Pharis." Shiva answered, worry clear in his voice. "The bonfire... isn't working."

"What do you mean?" Pharis raised a brow. This wasn't too bad news, but it meant a longer walk if they failed to get rid of an invader. "We can just use a another one."

Shiva now removed his helmet, and his usually rather pretty face had a frown on it, and his mouth was a straight line.

"Pharis... NO Bonfires works." he said, now with a sad tone lying under his usually calm voice.

"Every single one I've tried don't work. Even the ones with Firekeepers."

Pharis now raised both brows. No bonfires? But that could only mean...

"That can only mean," Shiva said. "The chosen has failed to link the fire."

Authors note: I know Pharis is not the woman in the forest, and that HE actually is a man. I was originally going to name her Pharia, but I would constantly forget and write something wrong. The story might go out of the forest after this, we'll see. Thank you for reading, please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3 - The Three's Dismiss

Authors note: I'm terribly sorry for the horrific update pace. I've been off for a while, and there's a reason for it. I am not happy with how chapter one and two turned out. This might just be author-paranoia, but I see mistakes everywhere: Not enough paragraphs, they were way too short, and the last one had generic auto-correct mistakes and was in general badly written. I hope this one turns out to be better.

However I will try to improve. The reviews help massively, and it is good to know that people follow the story. Enjoy the third chapter!

* * *

Shiva had a deep wrinkle in his forehead as he was sitting leaned against an overgrown wall.

His days had grown darker and darker as the news had passed.

Not only his days, but especially his days.

The day he told Pharis about the Bonfires disfunctioning, she had started spreading the news.

And they spread fast.

The whole family of hunters knew about the crisis now, and they were worried, almost scared.

Shiva was dissapointed seeing them tremble before this fact, but that was not what troubled him the most.

Alvina had forbidden hunting. The reason being her insulting pity for the humans that were no longer Undead.

She didn't want to see invaders die for good. She had told Shiva this: "I once had a friend. A great knight who was swallowed by the Dark. He cared for humans. He, unlike his rather aggressive lover, saw the good in them, and protected them. He bashed the Dark away once, but not twice, and succumbed to it. I will follow in his footsteps. Don't forget that you're a human as well, Shiva of the East."

Although her words made sense to him, invaders trespassed at their own will. No one forced them to go through the forest.

And then, why should he feel with them? They wandered into the area themselves. And the ignorant wouldn't see him coming. Maybe that was what Alvina feared.

That the unknowing would walk in and be murdered

He bashed the bitter thoughts away. They only made him madder about the situation anyway. He then took his helmet off.

He laid it next to him on the dirt, and stared up into the star-sprangled sky. Forest hunters never slept, neither did he.

He ran his hand through his silver hair all the way back to his braid, as he had many times before.

He liked the felling off his swept-back hair between his fingers. It comforted him, and put his mind at ease.

As to why he had braided his hair, was because he didn't want it flowing. It was distracting in combat, and having it fly everywhere in his eyes would mean death.

A dishonorable death for a great warrior like him.

Shiva praised his combat skills, and he remembered everything he had learned in the Eastern lands.

His armor was made by his uncle, the once local blacksmith. He also crafted him his ring he had on his finger, which caused his armor and weapons to be able to take more beatings without breaking.

He praised his uncle as well, for it. As long as he was careful and sparing with repair powder, his equipment would stay intact with him forever.

His shield he had made himself. He was forced to make something by his uncle, to prove himself.

Shiva was originally going to make a greatshield, but he gave up on it half-way. It proved to be too much work.

But the construction and sturdy metal used to make it caused it to be as hard as any greatshield, just lighter. He was proud of it, and satisfied with his work.

His uncle had been too.

"If only he could see me now." Shiva thought, while smiling for himself.

* * *

He was driven out of his thoughts when his bodyguard tingled him on the shoulder. Shiva turned with a questioning look on his face, and was gestured to follow his friend, before the ninja walked around the corner.

Shiva sighed, before putting his helmet back on and following him.

He knew what was going to happen.

He had a few days ago suggested to Alvina that he would travel to figure something out about the situation about the Bonfires.

She had assured him she would consider it, but Shiva was doubting.

She loved her family, and the outside world was either unseen or forgotten among most of the clan.

That made it a great risk to send somebody out, as they could be taken down by bandits of other groups or slaughtered by the countless monsters.

Shiva had also heard of "Hollows", but had never seen one. Apparently it was a man robbed of his sanity, and was now a walking killing machine.

But Shiva still wanted to get out and find somebody that knew the Chosen Undead, the only man to beat him one-on-one, and may have heard of what had happened in the Kiln.

Shiva didn't care much for it generally, as the cycle had been going on forever now, and he was used with adapting to it.

But if the Chosen had failed, it meant a beginning of something new.

A new era.

But he would never be able to confirm this if he wasn't allowed to go.

* * *

Alvina was in her usual spot, sitting in the ruined window she seemed to have sat in for a thousand years.

However the room was filled with hunters, and many were standing on the bridge that combined the two ruins of towers across a giant chasm. They all looked eager to hear what she had to say.

Once they noticed Shiva and his bodyguard, the instantly made way for them. Some of them even bowed for them, which Shiva found odd and meaningless.

They were brothers, not ranked knights. Although he was titled "Captain" they didn't have to scrape at his feet for it.

But, atleast they were allowed for a straight way to Alvina, who he assumed had something to say to or about him.

And she did. At once they were past the crowd, she turned to him and said: "Shiva, your mission has been considered."

"And what is the answer?" Shiva asked, as neutral as he could.

"Yes." she said flatly.

Shiva was bummed out. He'd been so sure she would say no.

He was, right while he standing in front of her, the cat's mouth would form a "no", and he would just have to sit through and hear the rest of what she had to say.

But he was wrong about her, once again.

"It will be an honor, Alvina my leader." he said, trying to lay the excitement in his voice under his calm appearance.

"Sit down now, Shiva. And quit the military-knight talk!" she responded, rather caustic.

Shiva didn't care, as she had talked to him like that many times before, and sat down underneath her window.

"Hear, my family members! For we have all heard dire news!" Alvina's voice boomed all over the room and the bridge. "The bonfires have disfunctioned, as our Captain, Shiva has discovered. This is indeed troubling, as this means a Chosen Undead have failed, and the Fire has burnt out Gwyns Soul!"

There was some intense mumbling after this, and Alvina let them talk in between themselves before continuing: "An Age of Dark is upon us, but the Dark is no haven for any living being! But the Dark is a slow mass. It's corruption will take years to reach us, and in that time, a salvation shalt hath been discovered!"

There was a pause, before a hunter shouted: "Who will find us the salvation?"

Alvina let her look fall down on Shiva, and the pressure of her stare hit him hard.

"Your Captain, Shiva of the East."

The words hang in the air. The silence could quite literally be heard after Alvina's powerful voice had died out.

But then one hunter said: "Shiva's faced worse! He can do this better than anyone! He is our Captain, brothers and sisters!"

This man was met with a loud approval of shouts that filled the two ruined towers. The room had an atmosphere of belief. They believed in Shiva. They believed in their captain!

"BUT!..." Alvina's voice abruptly interrupted their screams and battle shouts. "He will not go alone! He will as always have his bodyguard with him," -She nodded towards the ninja's position- "but he will need someone with bow skills as well, as stealth and melee is not enough for this quest!"

The silence was now a wall off pressure. Nobody actually WANTED to go themselves, just BE saved. Shiva let his chin hit his chest. He thought better off his clan family.

"I'll go!" a female voice shouted.

Shiva lifted his gaze back up, and smiled when he saw Pharis stand in front of the crowd, bow ready in her hand, as to prove a point.

"Very well." Alvina's voice took over again. "Our brave warriors shall be: Shiva of the East, our Captain! His bodyguard ninja, also hailing from the East! And Pharis of the Great Woods, the heroic archer-hero's nephew!"

The crowds shouts took over again, and the cheer was even louder this time. But Shiva's eyes were only on Pharis. She had actually come with him. She had chosen herself to join him on this quest, even though it would most likely claim their life. Could it be that...?

No, no way. He pushed the thoughts away, and stood up again. He walked away from the wall as the crowd left the buildings, and stood next to Pharis, facing Alvina.

"When do we leave, Alvina?"

"Tonight." was her answer. "At once you have your required equipment, you leave. Go, and get ready. Don't come back here."

They nodded.

"Goodbye, Alvina." Pharis said, and bowed for her.

Shiva's bodyguard did the same.

Shiva stared at Alvina, thinking that he might not see her again. But when her penetrating eyes caught him, he bowed respectfully as well, before following Pharis out.

"Shiva," Alvina's voice said. He stopped. "Do come back, my boy."

He turned his head slightly, before walking hastily out, with a tear running down his cheek.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Smith

The stone giant swung it's sword diagonally towards the man. The ninja dodged the blade easily, and countered with a stab to the back of the giant's knee. The mossy creature was too slow to block or dodge, so the hit knocked his leg away, and he was forced to kneel. The ninja then cut his katana twice into it's neck, and the giant fell over, dead.

Shiva's bodyguard sheathed his sword, satisfied with his kill. One less enemy to worry about before reaching the end of the forest. Shiva and Pharis were behind him, battling the bush-like trees that came out of the ground when you passed them to strangle you with their extendable branches. The stone giants were a more direct threat, but the trees were annoying as hell nonetheless. It was only because of the ninja's experience in stealth that saved them from their sneak attacks. He could hear them miles away, their clumsy branches saying **tick tick tick** against the grassy ground. The stone giants never had a chance of sneaking. Their leg's heavy **THUMPS** gave them away everytime, but they seemed to prefer direct combat anyway. Their armor was unpenetratable, and weak spots were few. Only their neck and eyes, armpits, and the back of their knees were unprotected, but they were spots that were constantly moving. Fighting them was still no hazzle for the ninja, though. He was too fast for their slow blades and clumsy, although large, shields. Fighting them was a pleasure for him, like a warm up, or a preparation for the outside world. For he knew the beasts of the outside were quicker than these slow, clumsy and mossy giants.

At least he hoped so.

"Hey, wait up!" Pharis' voice called.

He turned around to see Shiva and Pharis casually jogging towards him, their weapons and shields stained with treeblood. The ninja pointed down at the giant, explaining why he went in front.

"It didn't sneak up on you, did it?" Shiva mocked.

The ninja stared silently at him, before smacking his own face and turning his look skyward. Shiva and Pharis laughed at the man's unbreakable silence. How this man still had humor was a riddle. Pharis were still going on first impression's of him because of his casual personality. Maybe he was shy, and that's why he was a spook.

"I'm just joking with you." Shiva said. "Let's press onwards."

They didn't see many more enemies throughout the rest of Darkroot Garden. They stumbled upon a few unsuspecting tree-men, but they made quick work of them. It was when they reached their first split path that they found trouble. Forest Hunters rarely traveled outside of their territory, only the Undead did. Shiva, Pharis and the assasin were not Undead, and therefore had a poor understanding of the map of Lordran. They only had vague hints thanks to the Undead that travelled outside sometimes.

Pharis went to check the path that split upwards. She came sliding back shortly; "This path leads down to the Basin. I guess there is a pattern from there to a giant fort that I also saw."

"We should head out of Darkroot area the quickest way possible, and the Basin is a hostile place." Shiva said. "We take the other path."

Pharis agreed, and they took the path to the right, which went straight to a tower of sorts. Inside was a big square room. And in the middle a stone beast stood. It was not like the giants at all. It was not overgrown with moss, it was missing a leg, and had some strange curves sticking out of it's back like horns. It also weilded a giant pole in it's right hand.

"Silence..." Shiva whispered, but it had already noted their presence. It turned around abruptly, and Shiva noted it didn't have a face. Just a rock-plate. He knew what this was. A Titanite Demon. It raised it staff high, and a yellow light emanated from it's horns, slowly climbing to the top of it's back, before transferring the light to the staff.

"SPLIT UP!" Shiva yelled, before throwing himself sideways, barely dodging the lightning bolt emanating from the tip of it's staff. He slided across the stone floor, and banged his head into a fallen-over pillar. Sparks alighted in his head, and he saw stars wherever he turned his gaze. He could hear the monster dragging itself towards him. When his sight returned he saw the Demon stand over him, pole raised high for a bone-crushing smash.

Shiva panicked, and threw his hand back to find his shield. He found the handle, and brought the iron shield in front of him just as the demon brought it's weapon down. The pole smashed with the power of 30 men into his shield, but it held the hit back. Shiva silently thanked his uncle for forcing him to create it, and making his ring. Only their abilities together could hold this thing's immense power back. Shiva regained his battle instincts, and forced the shield sideways. The momentum of the Demon's strike caused it's staff to slide off his shield and into the ground. Shiva used this chance to roll away before the Demon could ready another swipe. This was his first chance to check what happened to his bodyguard and Pharis. Pharis seemed to have almost taken the hit directly, her leather armor almost fried up and exposing her burnt skin. She was crawling away from the stone beast towards a corner, while clutching her stomach. The ninja seemed to be in a better condition. Slightly shaking from the voltage of the lightning, but with no clear damage on his body or weapons. Shiva pulled his Murakumo free from it's sheath, and brought his shield back up in front of him. The Demon jumped around on the spot, facing Shiva and his bodyguard. They circled it slowly, until they felt their shoulders touch eachother. They faced the other, and nodded. They were facing a dumb beast. They were two smart men who have fought together for years. This Demon were no match. They charged it, and Shiva felt his blood pump quicker and quicker.

They split up about nine feet away from it, and Shiva chose his target. It's functional leg. The bodyguard went for it's tail. The Demon seemed to have some intelligence in it's rocky "head", as it instantly used it's tail to swipe the ninja away before turning it's attention to Shiva. With now only one enemy to worry about, it attacked aggressively, and Shiva got more than enough with defending himself. The monster was ruthless, and every hit knocked Shiva back plenty of feet. But this is what Shiva wished for. It's attention to be fully placed on him. For he knew that the bodyguard had successfully blocked the hit, and was already closed to it's unprotected tail, with his weapon two-handed and ready to swing. The Demon let out an un-earthly scream as it's tail was separated, but regained surprisingly quickly. It jumped back, and landed behind the ninja's exposed back. The bodyguard flipped forward quickly, but it didn't seem like he needed to. The Demon's "gaze" was directed elsewhere, more correctly on Pharis' exposed shape. With it's left hand it grabbed her body and smashed her down onto the floor in front of it, before pinning her down with the head of it's pole.

"NO!" Shiva yelled, as he thought it was going to crush her.

But it didn't.

Instead it looked at Shiva and his bodyguard, at least Shiva thought it did, as it was hard to tell from a faceless beast. It was... threatening them. The beast was indeed intelligent. He was holding Pharis hostage, because he knew he couldn't hold his balance properly without it's tail. The situation looked hopeless, but then a voice called: "WHAT IN IZALITH'S GOIN' ON DOWN HERE?!"

Shiva turned his gaze towards a small door in the stonewall, and saw a huge man standing there. He was clearly a blacksmith, his white apron and black metal hammer giving it away. The man had white hair, as long as his apron was. He was clearly an older type, although nonetheless intimidating because of his booming muscles all over his chest and arms.

"WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE ATTACKING MY TITANITE GUARD?!"

"Titanite... GUARD?!" Shiva yelled as a response. "IT ATTACKED US!"

"Well, yeh. It's a GUARD boy!" The Blacksmith answered, unfazed by Shiva's answer.

"Well... Are you telling me this thing is under YOUR control?!" Shiva continued, very surprised by the Blacksmiths sudden calmness.

"Yes, I created the thing from an ember the Chosen Undead gave me."

"You... You know the Chosen Undead?" Shiva asked, baffled by his luck.

The Blacksmith went silent, before saying: "Shall we discuss this under better circumstances? You look tired after battling, and I have food if you're hungry."

Although they hadn't travelled for long, they were all hungry and they wanted to save their own supplies of arrows for hunting. Shiva gave him a quick nod, before saying: "Could you..." while pointing at the Titanite Demon still pinning Pharis down.

"Ah." The blacksmith gestured the Demon, and it raised it's staff. Shiva hurried over and picked Pharis up on his shoulder, all while staring eyes to plate with the Demon. He was still keeping an eye on it when he exited the room after the large man. His ninja bodyguard followed closely after. The next room was simply laid out. To the left was the blacksmith's anvil, and some of his work were stashed along the wall, as well as on a table in the opposite corner. To the right was a staircase leading up, which was where the smith was headed. Going up the steps with an unconscious Pharis on his shoulder was not much for Shiva, who were used to be swinging a blade just as large, although not as heavy. Up the steps was another square room, with a dead bonfire in the middle. This reminded Shiva; "I have to ask him what he knows. If he knew the Chosen, he might know what happened in the Kiln."

The blacksmith kept going up another set of stairs, which led to some destroyed altar of sorts. Now it was only ruins, but it was still a very small room for the type of interior. He understood why it was so small when the large man led them through a walkway, and they arrived at what seemed to be a giant church. The previous one must have been a preparation room of sorts, not the main hall.

The smith now turned around: "Now, warrior, I have something I must ask you to do before I give you some food."

Shiva pushed his frustration away, and asked: "What is that then, smith?"

"Inside this church there's a bunch of knights from different lands around the world. I haven't been able to deal with'em yet, but once you kill them, they're gone for good."

"You want me to kill innocent knights? Why not make peace with them, instead?"

The smith let out a thundering, although dimmed, laugh.

"Peace? With hollows? What planet are ye from, boy?"

"Hollows?" Shiva asked. If these "knights" he spoke of were hollow, this would be his first chance to see one.

"Yeh, hollows. Ye know, dead, rotten, skin n' bone killing machines?"

Shiva went silent for a second, but agreed to the smith's requirements.

"I'll wait for ya here, and watch in case yer girlfriend gets worse. And maybe repair her amor."

Shiva didn't bother with correcting him about Pharis not being his "girlfriend", and just mumbled a "thank you" before walking up the steps leading into the church. His bodyguard followed right behind him. The room they came into was large, with statues lining the walls and pillars as thick as the Darkroot trees holding up the ceiling. To the left of them he saw a pack of knights in steel armor, and to the right... was a hulking monster of a man. A man clad in heavy armor as black as night, and standing at about 9 feet tall. In his right hand was a mace which looked like it could crush Shiva's ribs into dust, and in his left was an impenetrable greatshield as black as his armor. But his face... Every description Shiva had heard of hollows fit this man's face. It was almost black-ish brown, with skin so rotten and thin in strong contrast to his unbreakable armor. It was almost just a skull with thin white strokes for eyes.

And this monster had clearly noticed them, and was holding his greatshield in front of his gigantic body, and now starting to charge them with every footstep like the thundering thumps of three bulls.

Shiva didn't collect his mind before the giant was right on top of them, and it had it's huge mace lifted high above his head.

"DODGE!" he screamed, and pushed himself and the ninja away from eachother, and his slide ended at a wooden bench. He pushed with all he could, and that is what it took, for in the next millisecond the mace collided with the floor, cracking it up so badly the dust flew right into the roof. The immense strength of this hollow gave Shiva a horrible impression, and he hoped he would never have to fight a man like this again. The berserker was also fast, unlike the stone knights, and got right back up and charged at Shiva's bodyguard, who were still recovering from Shiva's push. Shiva widened his eyes as the mace came crashing down, but where the ninja had stood was now a very ruined pillar, the aftermath of the giant's swing. The bodyguard rolled quickly towards Shiva and gathered himself. They drew their weapons and shields, and readied to fight the tanking giant. But then they both heard noises behind them, and they saw the group of smaller knights attacking them with varied choices of weapons and shields. A rapier and buckler weilder went right for Shiva's bodyguard, who parried the attack and stabbed the knight in his gut. Shiva saw the light in the hollow's eyes fade, and noted this behaviour. A sword and shield weilder swinged for Shiva's gut, but Shiva blocked the hit and bashed the knight with his shield. Another knight quickly stabbed for Shiva's exposed side, but was driven off by his bodyguard. They dueled a while before Shiva remembered something: The big, bruising monster was still alive, and the sound of air bending around a very large mace told him to dodge very quickly. He rolled towards the sound, and in the next moment the knight he was dueling with got his face bent inwards, before his head got entirely ripped off by the swing from the harbinger of destruction's sledge. Shiva saw the next swing coming, and quickly rolled away again. Now he stood face-to-face with a 9'5 feet tall, mace weilding berserker with impenetrable armor and a greatshield bigger than Shiva himself, and the forest hunter-captain now realised his chances. His ninja bodyguard was still duking it out with one of the other small knights, and they seemed even at this point. They bruiser would grind him into bone meal before he was done with the dueling. Shiva braced himself for the oncoming battle. The hollow monster didn't wait for long, and charged the Eastern warrior with his greatshield first. Shiva realised what he was going for, and quickly dodged sideways before the knight could crush him into the wall. He then blocked the follow-up swing from the giants mace, and tried to counter attack. Surprisingly enough it worked, and the swing hit the hollow's macehandle, cutting the head right off. He followed up with a quick bash with his shield's edge to the knight's shield-arm, which caused the big knight to roar in pain and drop his shield. Shiva tried to end the knight by smashing his Murakumo into the knight's ribs, weakening his armor, before impaling the spot he hit him on. The giant fell to it's knees, and roared in anger. It hadn't given up though, as in the next moment Shiva felt the giant's hand wrap around his throat, lifting him off the ground. The immense strength of the knight caused him to instantly lose all air, and stars were already filling his vision. He couldn't breath in the slightest, and he used the last of his strength to twist his sword in the giant's chest.

The last he heard was the dying, although triumphant, roar of the giant.

And the last he saw was the ground quickly rising towards his limp body.


	5. Chapter 5 - Remembrance, André's tale

"_You are weak Shiva, it will never change."_ The words hung in his mind, like a dream he didn't want to forget. Those words were uttered by the one person in the Eastern lands to match his fighting skills. She used to fight Shiva every day, and every time he lost, she spoke those words. They mocked him, aggravated his days, and made him furious. He wasn't known to easily lose his temper, but every time she spoke that sentence, he was boiling with rage. But, all she was doing was making him keep training. Keep improving his skills, to the point where HE could utter those words to HER.

And he did.

One, glorious day, he beat her.

It was in one of the tournaments that were usually held in the East. They had both made it to the final round. Knocked all of their opponents out, and stepped up on the podium where their duel was going to be held. Shiva remembered it all.

He started by swinging his Murakumo horizontally, which she dodged easily. But he was ready for her counter, and easily parried her attempted stab by spinning around and knocked the rim off his shield into the side of her weapon. She lost footing, and stumbled clumsily into his shield bash. She fell over, and Shiva for a glorious moment thought she was done.

But she wasn't. She got back up and (PWNED HIM) switched stances. She glided her parrying dagger along the blade off her Estoc, signalizing him to continue fighting.

The fight hardened after this.

Shiva tried going for the same trick, but this time she parried his swing. Shiva felt horror rise inside him when his blade was forced down to the ground, and kicked away from his hand. Her next poke hit the rim off his shield and bounced harmlessly away, but she was quick to follow up with a stab from her dagger.

He tried grabbing her wrist with his empty right hand, and felt joy when he closed it around her brass gauntlet. He followed up by bashing his entire bodyweight into her, and they both fell to the ground. Shiva was instantly ready though, and got back up and (PWNED ok I'll stop) kicked her sword away. She tried jabbing him with the dagger in his right ankle, but luckily for Shiva she missed completely. He then switched his shield over to his right hand, and slammed it into her helmet. She went completely silent, and the crowd started counting down from ten. The fight would end by either knocking your opponent unconscious for ten seconds, or him/her surrendering.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

Shiva felt sharp pain in his left leg when her dagger buried itself into his ankle. She twisted it, and the pain shot up his entire foot. She must've hit a nerve or something, for the leg started twitching uncontrollably. Shiva felt an unwelcome yell escape his lips, and he tried to tear himself free. It unfortunately worked, for the next moment blood was pouring out of the wound. He fell on his back, and his opponent instantly jumped on him, raising her dagger towards the sky. He couldn't do anything about it, the pain and blood loss had made him half-unconscious. But for one striking moment he remembered his promise to his uncle: "I will be the best warrior of the East, and any land in this world!"

Shiva felt strength rise into his muscles, and with a furious yell, he slammed his shield into his opponents armored belly. Her attempted stab with the dagger was knocked way out of control by the strength of the blow. Shiva then grabbed the edge off the shield with both hands, and flicked it so that it was covering her entire upper body. With all his newfound power, he sat up and pushed her off his midsection, and now she was the one to fall on her back.

Shiva wouldn't make the same mistake twice, and now struck his shield into her left arm. She let out a whelp off pain as the sharp edge hit her gauntlet and bent it inwards, which caused her to let go of her dagger. Shiva hit her helmet with his fists, which hurt like hell, but he didn't care. He punched her twice before ripping her helmet off. He then hit her again, dazing her, and then lifted his shield high above his head before slamming it multiple times into her exposed head.

Over and over and over his rage drove his arm, and she was bleeding massively from her nose. He remembered the crowds shocked gasp as he massacred her, and he continued far after she was unconscious. Guards came to drive him away, all while he was boiling over with rage.

"_You're weak, Arya! It will never change!" _he shouted to her, as he was driven back to the center of the podium. It was one of the greatest moments of his life, and as the announcer yelled:

"_The winner of the tournament is, by knock-out, Shiva Alcatras!"_

The crowd (seemingly recovered from the picture of him beating his opponent up) cheered loudly. Shiva saw money being exchanged amongst the crowd, and the people who had bet on him winning all had satisfied smiles on their faces.

Behind him he saw Arya get dragged off the podium by a large man, before she was carried towards the medical tent by many clerics with talismans ready.

He felt guilt hit him. Although he had done it in rage, beating her face in had been a bad choice, and it was technically breaking the rules. But they couldn't take the victory from him, as he had already beaten her when he assaulted her.

But then he remembered exactly that, he had beaten her. Fair and square, he had beaten her. His price, a golden katana, was handed over to him the next moment, and he forgot everything bad in the world for that one moment.

He unsheathed the blade, and held it high. The crowd's chants reached a crescendo, and pride filled Shiva's heart. That had been the greatest moment of his entire existence.

* * *

He opened his eyes, and found himself on a stone floor. It was uncomfortable to lie on, so he tried switching positions. He laid himself on his side, and stared right at Pharis' back. She was sitting by a crackling fire. The sound of him turning caused her to turn around, and when she noticed he was awake, she sent him a warm smile.

"So, you're finally awake!"

"I can say the same to you. Where is the blacksmith?"

"He and your bodyguard went to clear out the church. It is easier to do after nightfall, as the Hollows' sight is horrible."

Shiva got up and walked over to her. He gently rubbed his neck, not easily forgetting the crush of the giants' fist. The giant…

"Is the Hollow tank dead?" he asked as he sat down at the fire.

"Yes, your stab impaled through his back and out his spine. He wasn't able to properly stand, so your ninja friend killed him easily afterwards. Are you alright, by the way? That man was a knight of Berenike, and they are known to be powerful."

Berenike… The name rang a bell, but he didn't remember where he had heard it before.

"What about the other knights?" he asked.

"Balder knights. Known for being skilled in dueling, and being the strictest in accepting fighters into their knighthood."

He nodded, and stared into the flames of the campfire. His dream… How had he forgotten about her? He made a promise, and in his family they kept promises. His promise was proving that he was the greatest fighter of the East. In that moment he was, but in a later tournament she beat him again.

"_You're weak, Shiva! It will never change!"_

Shiva balled his fist and punched it into the fire. It didn't even burn him because of his ring and armor.

"Hey, what is it?" Pharis asked.

"Nothing. Does anything seem wrong?"

"Well, you just punched the campfire."

"That log was looking like it was going to fall."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but decided he wasn't in the mood to talk about it and shrugged.

The silence fell upon them, and it wasn't broken until the smith came in and yelled:

"Come in and get yer food, people!"

Shiva heard his belly growl, and realized how hungry he was. He followed the smith into the church, and was pleasantly surprised by the new look of the hall. A long table was set up, with four chairs around it. On the table was three lit candles, and loads of food. Torches were lit on along the walls, which cast a pleasant light over the entire church. The night outside made it all look very cozy and safe.

The smith turned around, stretched his hand out and said: "André of Astora is my name! You've earned my trust, boy! That was one hell of a fight in here!"

Shiva took his hand, and shook it; "Shiva of the East, a pleasure to meet you André!" He didn't bother to ask how he knew it was a "hell of a fight". It would just ruin the moment.

"Please, sit down. You must be hungry."

Shiva did like he said, and took the chair at one of the ends of the table. André sat down at the opposite end of the table. Pharis and Shiva's bodyguard sat down at the two remaining seats, and immediately started eating. Now, for the first time in a long while, the ninja removed his mask.

* * *

Pharis immediately started studying his face. He had sharp features, with a pointy chin and narrowing cheeks. His brows bent upwards at the end, and his hair was black. The special thing was his eyes though. His pupils were completely grey. They were beautiful in Pharis' eyes, and before she could stop herself, she said: "Your eyes are beautiful."

The ninja stopped eating, and looked at her. His magnificent eyes met here's, and she felt André and Shiva staring at the two.

"Thanks." He said, before continuing to eat.

Pharis' mouth fell agape. "He just spoke?" she thought. She'd never heard him talk before. Maybe… No, Pharis cut her own thoughts off. He was a MAN. He had a TONGUE which he could use. Why was it so special that he formed one word with his lips? His, wonderfully shaped lips…

* * *

When they were done eating, André slammed his cup to the table to get the others' attention. When he was certain that they were listening, he spoke.

"So, now that we're getting friendly and all, I was just wondering what you guys were doing out 'ere? Are'ya just travelers or?"

Shiva then remembered, he needed to ask the smith about the Chosen Undead's fate! How had he forgotten so long? He cleared his throat, before saying:

"We are looking to find out what is happening in the world. Bonfires have died out, people are no longer Undead, and Lordran is growing cold and dark. You said you knew the Chosen, so do you know what happened in the Kiln?"

The blacksmith waited in case he was going to say something more. When he didn't, he folded his arms on the table and looked like he fell into deep thought.

When he looked up again he had a deep frown in his forehead and a serious look on his face.

"Yes, I knew the Chosen. He never told me his name or anything, but I still knew him quite well. He found loads of Embers for me, and what he wanted in return was me forging weapons for him. He had armor of elite knights, so he might be from Astora like me, or he found it on a corpse somewhere. Anyways, he went back and forth, until a day when he told me that he would come back for his new spear next day and that he needed it ready. So I had it ready next day. But he didn't come back. I waited all day and he didn't come back. When I went upstairs to get some materials, I saw the bonfire had died. Next to it was a note."

He took a deep breath, and continued:

"It said:

André

I don't know what is happening, but the bonfires won't work. Every time I try to ignite them they die instantly. That also means that I cannot die, for then I'm gone for good. If you're reading this then that means that I've most likely reached the Kiln, and/or that I'm fighting Gwyn. If I am defeated then I want to tell you that I appreciate all the work you did for me. I would never have come this far if not for you. But I also want to tell you this: Everything killed is back. I went back to the Asylum once and the Demon there was on the roof. I didn't look properly, but it also looked like a SECOND Demon was there. I wasn't convinced until I looked up at the church here one day, and saw the Gargoyle statues standing there. Not convinced? Check yourself. That also means a few kills I regret now have a second chance. I'm terribly sorry to not have thanked you earlier André, but thank you. Dearly. I hope to see you in the next life.

Your friend"

The silence was deafening. It was crushing after André's tale. Shiva didn't know whether to feel happy, or sad for the smith's loss.

Losses were everywhere, he had realized it. But the Chosen's letter had struck him so hard. The Chosen wasn't a bad guy in this cycle. He had seen Chosen's brutally killing his companions for their souls. They were everywhere in the forest. They normally had one or two Undeads from other worlds with them too. But this one was nicer. He had cared for André and his other friends. He had regretted killing someone. Shiva thought of Sif. Had this Chosen learned about Sif's backstory? It was a tragic tale, indeed. Maybe… No, he didn't want to think about it much more. But what he had said… Was Sif alive? "Everything killed is back"… Sif must've been killed for Artorias' covenant. So…

He had to report back to Alvina. He had to. If Sif was alive… No, his mission was not done. He needed to finish his mission, first off all things.

"Thank you André." he yawned. "That was a good tale, but I must sleep. I'm tired."

"Sure, just… go to sleep, Shiva." André answered.

When Shiva fell asleep that evening, his mind was focused on three things:

Sif, finishing the mission… and Arya.


End file.
